Here’s the big-picture analysis of the Buffalo Bills’ 26-11 victory against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday:
Bills 26, Dolphins 11: How it happened, stars of the game, key plays
What was wrong with the Bills’ offense in the first half?
A bunch. It took awhile for the Bills to adjust to Miami’s heavy blitzing defensive plan. The first drive was foiled by a blitz when Josh Allen could have run for the first down, but instead tried for a bigger play with a pass for Stefon Diggs, which was overthrown. The fifth drive was foiled by a heavy blitz on a fourth-and-4 situation when Allen thought he had drawn the Dolphins offside. No penalty was called.
The offensive line struggled to create any movement in the running game, causing the offense to be one-dimensional. Miami has two good, beefy defensive tackles in Christian Wilkins and Raekwon Davis, who missed the first meeting. The third drive failed when Miami stuffed a third-and-1 run play. In addition, tight end Tommy Sweeney struggled in the first half.
Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll had a few sketchy play-calls that did not work. The second drive was derailed with a failed run on a second-and-9 situation and then a quarterback power off right tackle on third-and-9 that fooled no one. That was an odd call.
Observations: Cole Beasley stepped up in second half when Bills needed him most
Miami is one of the few teams that has a No. 1 cornerback who can play tight coverage on Diggs.
Add it all up, and it was a three-point half for the Bills.
How big is the gap between the Bills and Dolphins?
Big. The Bills played their worst half of the year and still covered a two-touchdown spread in beating Miami for a seventh consecutive time, the longest winning streak ever for the Bills’ vs. their South Florida rival.
The gap at quarterback is giant between Allen and Tua Tagovailoa.
And the gap in the trenches is big. While the Bills’ offensive line struggled in the first half, the pass blocking was pretty good in the second half. Miami’s offensive line, meanwhile, remains a big weakness, despite a ton of moves to fix it.
Should the Dolphins trade for Deshaun Watson?
The answer has to be yes, right? But whether they should pull the trigger this week, by the 4 p.m. Tuesday trade deadline, or wait until March is hard to say. It’s hard to imagine Watson is avoiding an NFL suspension at some point, whether it comes this season or in the 2022 regular season.
The problem for Miami is Tua Tagovailoa suffers so badly in comparison with Allen. His arm strength is not close to being elite. He doesn’t handle pressure in the pocket well. And while he’s a little bit mobile, he’s not special creating plays outside of the structure of the offense.
It took Miami coach Brian Flores a full hour to meet with the media after the game, a highly unusual delay for a head coach. He said he was talking with owner Stephen Ross and general manager Chris Grier. He also said he needed to process the loss.
“Today I just kind of sat there,” Flores said. “I always talk to Steve and Chris after the game. But those conversations are between them and I.”
Will this loss push the Dolphins to make a desperate, future-mortgaging trade for Watson? It will be an interesting Tuesday.
